In the past few weeks, we've seen multiple accusations portraying Samsung as the bad guy in the Galaxy S Froyo upgrade drama in the U.S. First, there were many delays, followed by the update finally rolling out pretty much everywhere outside the U.S. Then, all anonymous and unconfirmed, an accusation that T-Mo's new Vibrant 4G was the reason for the, possibly indefinite, delay and a report that Samsung charges U.S. carriers for Android updates, later denied by Samsung.

As it turns out, the truth is much less complicated, although we can't say for sure the recent hubbub that undoubtedly did some damage to Samsung's Android reputation didn't accelerate today's events. PC Mag, a reputable publication, was able to extract personal confirmation from T-Mobile's CMO (chief marketing officer) Cole Brodman that the Froyo update for the Vibrant is indeed coming, and sooner than you think - tomorrow, January 21st. The update will be staggered, to make sure a sneaky bug doesn't explode everyone's Vibrants all at the same time. This means you may not get the update on the first day, but we'll sure try to dig up ways of doing it manually for those who so desire.

The reason for the delay is simple - sure, Samsung took its sweet time and only provided T-Mobile (and likely all other carriers) with a baseline upgrade at the end of November, but this is where the oh-so-loved-by-us carrier customizations come into play - features like Wi-Fi calling, branding, custom apps, and the slowdown caused by the holiday season resulted in close to 2 months of additional delays, this time on T-Mo's side.

As for future upgrades, PC Mag's Sasha Segan quotes Brodman in this interesting statement, which we'll be sure to take to the bank:

In the future, T-Mobile aims to update all of its phones to new versions of Google's Android OS within 3-5 months after Google makes the OS version public.

Sure, we'll keep that in mind, but in the meantime, watch out for that update tomorrow, Vibrant owners!

As for Samsung, T-Mobile, and other U.S. carriers, I have a suggestion for you - stop playing your little games and be a bit more transparent. We, the consumers of your products, will appreciate it. A lot.

Artem is a die-hard Android fan, passionate tech blogger, obsessive-compulsive editor, bug hunting programmer, and the founder of Android Police.
Most of the time, you will find Artem either hacking away at code or thinking of the next 15 blog posts.

Comments

Really??? I'm at the point where I need to see it to believe it. If it is really true, I hope it works without issues.

Álmos

They can finally start working on the Gingerbread release for international users! :P

LarrytheTub

"In the future, T-Mobile aims to update all of its phones to new versions of Google’s Android OS within 3-5 months after Google makes the OS version public."

Does this mean Gingerbread between March and May?

Jordan

Any news on froyo for other Galaxy S models?

Captivate? Fascinate?

http://www.AndroidPolice.com Artem Russakovskii

No, not yet, but we'll definitely let you all know when we know something.

Marc

Well what about the fascinate? T-Mobile is selfish there only thinking of themselves, the can't wait till verizon, at&t, or sprint to come up with the money to upgrade there galaxy s phones? Wtf dude, I hate U.S carriers

http://www.AndroidPolice.com Artem Russakovskii

Why would T-Mobile care about Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint? And there is no money involved with upgrades - that report was unfounded. They got the upgrade from Samsung in November, and they've been making it ready, as I'm sure the other carriers have been too.

Bob

Marc,

T-Mobile is only responsible for its customers. If it beats the rest of its competitors to the update, more power to it. It would be the same if AT&T, Verizon or Sprint came out first (didn’t AT&T already update theirs?). This can only help since it helps put pressure on the other carriers to update THEIR phones.

JoeK

My luck...it'll blow up my Vibrant. But at this point, bring on the smoke! :)

"In the future, T-Mobile aims to update all of its phones to new versions of Google’s Android OS within 3-5 YEARS after Google makes the OS version public."

James

Here I sit with my Epic from sprint(which i absolutely adore. Hands down my favorite phone I've used) with the paltry 2.1.

/sigh

The Truth

You poor thing; how could so much hardship be burdened by only one man?

Josh Vibrant

After just reading about the supposed delay, this is amazing news. If this is true will it most likely wipe my phone after the update?

liang

Love you Magenta,I'll stay with you if you keep your promise...good job

skeptic

Is there anybody out there who already got the official 2.2 upgrade from t-mobile? I just chatted with an agent today and I almost lost it. This is the response that i got:

"_James C: After checking I do not show that the update for the Samsung Vibrant to the Android 2.2 software has been released yet. That is being rolled out to our customers that have the MyTouch 1.2 though. So at this time we do not have any information about when that update will be rolled out for the Vibrant."

Please tell me that t-mobile lied to shut us up.

not gonna happen

This is a crock!! Im not getting my hopes up like i did way to many times in the past can someone post if they get the update so we aren't in the dark again!!